San Francisco's Union Square bomb scare ends after two hours

Oct. 17, 2013
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BREAKING NEWS / Jerry Mosemak, USA TODAY

by Gary Strauss, USA TODAY

by Gary Strauss, USA TODAY

San Francisco's Union Square was shut down for about two hours Thursday afternoon due to a bomb threat.

Police ordered a shutdown of the multi-block area - home to several businesses, major retailers and a prime tourist destination in the heart of the city - at 11:45 a.m. PT Thursday after an unattended backpack was found along Stockton Street.

Workers in Union Square and surrounding streets were told to shelter in place, while drivers and pedestrians were told to avoid the area. Cable car service was also stopped.

The threat ended after police bomb specialists and bomb-sniffing dogs checked out the backpack, found near a tent set up for this weekend's Nike Women's Marathon race.

"It's better to be safe than sorry,'' Police spokesman Albie Esparza told the San Francisco Chronicle. "We take these incidents really seriously."